Excess deaths in the Highlands more than trebled last winter – despite a fall elsewhere in the north and north-east.
Labour said the sharp rise should “set alarm bells ringing” about fuel poverty and the dangers posed by social care budget cuts.
A total of 946 people died in the Highland Council area between December and March, 59 more than in the same period the previous year.
That was 220 higher than the average for the four months either side – how National Records of Scotland calculates “additional” deaths.
In the winter of 2014/15 that number was only 70 and had not gone above 140 at any point in the last decade.
Under-75s were more affected than older people – though the gap rose across all age groups.
The jump contrasts with a fall of 1,210 in excess deaths across Scotland to 2,850 – though that remains the second highest for
ten years.
Just over 20,500 deaths were registered between December and March, down from 22,013 in the same period in 2014/15.
Other parts of the north and north-east mostly mirrored the national picture.
In Aberdeen, the deaths fell from 160 to 90, in Aberdeenshire from 180 to 100, in Moray from 90 to 70 and in Shetland from 20 to 10.
Orkney recorded zero excess deaths and Western Isles a rise from 30 to 40.
The figure for NHS Highland rose from 130 to 290 – almost all of the increase due to the Highland Council area.
It was partly down to a sharp fall in deaths registered between April and July compared with the year before.
Labour MSP Pauline McNeill said: “These huge increases should set alarm bells ringing for the SNP Government in Edinburgh.
“That excess deaths have more than trebled is a clear indication that something is wrong.
“We know that two key factors in winter deaths are fuel poverty and inadequate social care.
“More than 800,000 households in Scotland live in fuel poverty, including half of all households in the Highlands.
“That’s why Labour wants to see a Warm Homes Act to drive up standards and save lives.
“We also need to stop the cuts to budgets that provide social care.
NRS chief executive Tim Ellis said the long-term trend for Scotland was “clearly downward” – with the five-year average at its fourth lowest level.
Professor Hugo van Woerden, Highland NHS director of public health, said: “The reasons behind the rise are not clear but one of the major causes of excess winter death is fuel poverty. This is a problem in the Highlands and the public health department is part of a campaign to raise awareness of the issue.
“We would encourage older residents to have an influenza vaccine and to keep their home warm during cold weather.”
